AIoT random access procedure with multiple readers

Abstract

A reader configured to: transmit, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; and determine rando

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The example and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) devices and, more particularly, to random access procedures for AIoT devices. BACKGROUND

[0002] It is known, in performing random access for AIoT devices, for a reader to transmit a trigger message to one or more AIoT devices. SUMMARY

[0003] The following summary is merely intended to be illustrative. The summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0004] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determine random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access is initiated with the trigger message; and determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[0005] In accordance with one aspect, a method comprising: transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access is initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[0006] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising means for: transmitting, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access is initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[0007] In accordance with one aspect, a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, of a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access is initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[0008] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmit, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[0009] In accordance with one aspect, a method comprising: receiving, with a network node from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[0010] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising means for: receiving, from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[0011] In accordance with one aspect, a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing receiving, from at least one reader node, of a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[0012] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determine to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and transmit the response to the trigger message.

[0013] In accordance with one aspect, a method comprising: receiving, with a device, one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and transmitting the response to the trigger message.

[0014] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising means for: receiving one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and transmitting the response to the trigger message.

[0015] In accordance with one aspect, a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing receiving, with a device, of one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and causing transmitting of the response to the trigger message.

[0016] According to some aspects, there is provided the subject matter of the independent claims. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example system in which the example embodiments may be practiced;

[0019] FIGs. 2-5 are diagrams illustrating features as described herein; and

[0020] FIGs. 6-10 are flowcharts illustrating steps as described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or the drawing figures are defined as follows: 5GC 5G core network AIoT AIoT AF CN CW ambient Internet of Things AIoT application function core network carrier wave 5 CU central unit D2R AIoT device to reader DL downlink DO-A device-originated - autonomous DO-DTT device-originated - device-terminated triggered 10 DT device-terminated DU distributed unit FDD frequency division duplexing gNB (or gNodeB) base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and 15 connected via the NG interface to the 5GC NR new radio R2D reader to AIoT device RA random access RAN radio access network 20 RS reference signal Rx receiver Tx transmitter UE user equipment (e.g., a wireless, typically mobile device) UL uplink 25

[0022] Turning to FIG. 1, this figure shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which the examples may be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, radio access network (RAN) node 170, and network element(s) 190 are illustrated. In the example of FIG. 1, the user equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. A UE is a wireless device that can access the wireless network 100. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected through one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver, Rx, 132 and a transmitter, Tx, 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, and the like. A “circuit” may include dedicated hardware or hardware in association with software executable thereon. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a module 140, comprising one of or both parts 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 120. The module 140-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and is executed by the one or more processors 120. For instance, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 120, cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. The UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0023] The UE may also be able to communicate with other UE via link 145. For example, the UE may communicate with other UE via sidelink signaling, Bluetooth™ signaling, and / or direct signaling.

[0024] The RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access by wireless devices such as the UE 110 to the wireless network 100. The RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G, also called New Radio (NR). In 5G, the RAN node 170 may be a NG-RAN node, which is defined as either a gNB or a ng-eNB. A gNB is a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface to a 5GC (such as, for example, the network element(s) 190). The ng-eNB is a node providing E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface to the 5GC. The NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, which may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and distributed unit(s) (DUs) (gNB-DUs), of which DU 195 is shown. Note that the DU may include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU). The gNB-CU is a logical node hosting RRC, SDAP and PDCP protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB that controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-DU. The Fl interface is illustrated as reference 198, although reference 198 also illustrates a link between remote elements of the RAN node 170 and centralized elements of the RAN node 170, such as between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU is a logical node hosting REC, MAC and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partly controlled by gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or multiple cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the Fl interface 198 connected with the gNB-CU. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of a RU, but some examples of this may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station, for LTE (long term evolution), or any other suitable base station, access point, access node, or node.

[0025] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / W UF(s)) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected through one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver, Rx, 162 and a transmitter, Tx, 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor(s) 152, memories 155, and network interfaces 161. Note that the DU 195 may also contain its own memory / memories and processor(s), and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0026] The RAN node 170 includes a module 150, comprising one of or both parts 150-1 and / or 150-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 150 may be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 150 may be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and is executed by the one or more processors 152. For instance, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to, with the one or more processors 152, cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. Note that the functionality of the module 150 may be distributed, such as being distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or be implemented solely in the DU 195.

[0027] The one or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network such as via the links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, e.g., link 176. The link 176 may be wired or wireless or both and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards.

[0028] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, and the like. For example, the one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for gNB implementation for 5G, with the other elements of the RAN node 170 possibly being physically in a different location from the RRH / DU, and the one or more buses 157 could be implemented in part as, for example, fiber optic cable or other suitable network connection to connect the other elements (e.g., a central unit (CU), gNB-CU) of the RAN node 170 to the RRH / DU 195. Reference 198 also indicates those suitable network link(s).

[0029] It is noted that description herein indicates that “cells” perform functions, but it should be clear that equipment which forms the cell will perform the functions. The cell makes up part of a base station. That is, there can be multiple cells per base station. For example, there could be three cells for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each cell covering one-third of a 360 degree area so that the single base station’s coverage area covers an approximate oval or circle. Furthermore, each cell can correspond to a single carrier and a base station may use multiple carriers. So if there are three 120 degree cells per carrier and two carriers, then the base station has a total of 6 cells.

[0030] The wireless network 100 may include a network element or elements 190 that may include core network functionality, and which provides connectivity via a link or links 181 with a further network, such as a telephone network and / or a data communications network (e.g., the Internet). Such core network functionality for 5G may include access and mobility management function(s) (AMF(s)) and / or user plane functions (UPF(s)) and / or session management function(s) (SMF(s)). Such core network functionality for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality. These are merely illustrative functions that may be supported by the network element(s) 190, and note that both 5G and LTE functions might be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled via a link 131 to a network element 190. The link 131 may be implemented as, e.g., an NG interface for 5G, or an SI interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F(s)) 180, interconnected through one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured to, with the one or more processors 175, cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations.

[0031] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as either external, combining many networks, or parts of networks, into a virtual unit, or internal, providing network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. For example, a network may be deployed in a tele cloud, with virtualized network functions (VNF) running on, for example, data center servers. For example, network core functions and / or radio access network(s) (e.g. CloudRAN, O-RAN, edge cloud) may be virtualized. Note that the virtualized entities that result from the network virtualization are still implemented, at some level, using hardware such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and also such virtualized entities create technical effects.

[0032] It may also be noted that operations of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be carried out by a plurality of cooperating devices (e.g. cRAN).

[0033] The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be means for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be means for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 110, RAN node 170, and other functions as described herein.

[0034] In general, the various example embodiments of the user equipment 110 can include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones such as smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, Internet appliances permitting wireless Internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions.

[0035] Having thus introduced one suitable but non-limiting technical context for the practice of the example embodiments of the present disclosure, example embodiments will now be described with greater specificity.

[0036] Features as described herein may generally relate to energy harvesting technology or devices. Typically, a terminal based on energy harvesting may operate in an active or passive mode. The terminal itself may use energy harvested from wireless radio waves, or any other form of energy that can be harvested in its particular deployment scenario, and is expected to operate with ultra-low power in the range of tens of microwatts to hundreds of microwatts. For example, if energy is harvested from wireless radio waves, the output power of an energy harvester may be from several micro-watt to tens of micro-watt. If a solar panel is used for energy harvesting from solar / light, the output power may be less than 1 milli-watt, for example due to the small size of the solar panel. An energy harvesting device may harvest energy, and then use an active circuit to transmit like a conventional transmitter. Alternatively, some energy harvesting devices, called passive devices or tags, may not possess active transmission circuitry, and may instead use backscattering to transmit data. Backscatter communication, or reflection, is a signal transmission method for loT devices that are battery-less or energy-limited, where a received signal may be modified and / or reflected. When an AIoT device backscatters a reference signal, it reflects or forwards the reference signal, with or without changes, using energy derived from (other) received signals. For example, the AIoT device may modulate a radio ID, or other information, onto the received signal. This is in contrast to (direct) transmission of a reference signal, where the reference signal is transmitted using a battery or energy stored at the AIoT device.

[0037] Features as described herein may generally relate to ambient Internet of Things (AIoT) devices. For example, RFID solutions are already widely used with backscattering technology. The goal of Ambient loT study is to use 3 GPP technology to enhance coverage for backscattering RFID solutions, as well as to introduce new solutions with advanced features like harvesting energy from a dedicated source or an ambient energy source, and spending energy efficiently for loT-type of data transmissions.

[0038] Within 3GPP, related work has started in SAI, where TR 22.840 defines the relevant use cases, traffic scenarios, KPIs, etc. (3 GPP TR 22.840, Study on Ambient power-enabled Internet of Things, Release 19). The considered devices cover both battery-less type of device, or devices with limited energy storage capability, and the energy can be provided via radio wave harvesting, light, motion, etc.

[0039] Ambient loTs have been widely used in various vertical industries, including logistics, manufacture, transportation, energy industry, etc. Enabling passive / ambient loT devices, in both public and private networks, may benefit the whole 5G ecosystem. Some areas of considerations for the Ambient loT studies include: operation under extreme environmental conditions e.g., high pressure, extremely high / low temperature, humid environment etc., vibration; where ultra-low complexity (cost), very small terminal size / form factor (e.g., thickness of mm), maintenance-free and longer life cycle etc. are strongly required; and / or other scenarios where a terminal driven by a battery is not applicable. Therefore, support of ambient loTs using either a battery-less terminal or a terminal with limited energy storage capability (e.g., using a capacitor), may become a new requirement for the existing 3GPP technologies.

[0040] In the present disclosure, an AIoT device may also be referred to as a device, an AIoT UE, a tag, a UE, etc.

[0041] An example of an AIoT device is a passive radio, which may harness energy from wireless signals sent on specific carriers and / or bandwidths and charge a simple circuitry that, once activated, may emit / reflect a signal, which may encode at least the ID of the passive radio. The typical system architecture around a passive radio consists of an activator, a passive radio, and a reader. The activator is a device that sends an activation signal targeted at waking up the passive radio. The passive radio harnesses energy over a range of frequencies and listens for activation signals. Once such a signal is detected, the passive radio emits / reflects a signal which is specific to that radio ID. The reader is a device that listens and detects the passive radio signals. The reader may or may not be collocated with the activator.

[0042] In the present disclosure, a reader may also be referred to as a reader UE, a reader device, a transmission and / or reception point (TRP), a base station, a gNB, etc.

[0043] 3GPP has approved SI for AIoT RAN solutions in Rel-19 (RP-234058, Study on solutions for Ambient loT (Internet of Things) in NR).

[0044] The following two topologies are supported: topology I: BS Ambient loT device, and topology 2: BS intermediate node <-> Ambient loT device.

[0045] In topology 1, the Ambient loT device (220) may directly and bidirectionally communicate with a base station (210), as shown in FIG. 2. In the example of FIG. 2, the communication between the base station (210) and the ambient loT device (220) may include Ambient loT data and / or signaling (240). The link between gNB and the AIoT device in downlink is referred to as R2D (230). The link between AIoT device and the gNB is referred to as D2R (250). This topology includes the possibility that the BS transmitting to the Ambient loT device may be different from the BS receiving from the Ambient loT device.

[0046] In topology 2, the Ambient loT device (330) may communicate bidirectionally with an intermediate node (320) between the device (330) and the base station (310), as shown in FIG. 3. In this topology, the intermediate node may be a relay, IAB node, UE, repeater, a 3GPP device, any device which is capable of Ambient loT, etc. Multiple intermediate (assisting) nodes may be included in topology 2. In the example of FIG. 3, the intermediate node (320) may transfer Ambient loT data and / or signaling (360) between the BS (310) and the Ambient loT device (330). The link between the intermediate node and the AIoT device in downlink is referred to as R2D (350). The link between the AIoT device and the intermediate node is referred to as D2R (370).

[0047] The random access (RA) procedure is critical for A-IoT devices, as the network needs to support a large number of devices. Random access procedures are studied for AloT devices in RAN2.

[0048] The general structure of the RA procedure is illustrated in FIG. 4. At 410, a trigger message from the reader may be required to start the RA procedure, and may be followed by a 4-step or 2-step RA procedure. This trigger message may be considered an AIoT-specific message that is a precursor to the RA procedure, but not actually part of the RA procedure. In the example of FIG. 4, at 420 the device may transmit, to the reader, a random device identifier (MSG1). At 430, the reader may transmit, to the device, a response for the random identifier (MSG2). At 440, the device may transmit, to the reader, a device identifier and D2R transmission (MSG3). At 450, the reader may transmit, to the device, a response for the device identifier and R2D transmission (MSG4). This contention-based RA procedure may be completed to give access to the device in a slot, at which the device may complete its transmissions (e.g. D2R signals). The 4 steps (e.g. 420-450) may be completed in one accessoccasion. It may be noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the case of 4-step RA; 2-step RA is also possible.

[0049] The terminology of ‘access occasion’ refers to each time slot for the device to perform random access.

[0050] The terminology of ‘access round’ refers to a whole inventory / request procedure which consist of multiple access occasions.

[0051] Every reader may make use of access rounds to provide RA to the devices based on a contention-based or a contention-free procedure.

[0052] A communication session between the network and AIoT devices (e.g., inventory or inventory and command procedure) may be initiated by dividing a trigger message (e.g. from the core network) into multiple reading requests transmitted by multiple readers providing coverage to the AIoT devices. The AIoT application function (AF) may provide a list of device IDs to be read by readers in a coverage area, as shown in FIG. 5, where the session / query (510) may include the list of device IDs. In particular, each reader (e.g. 520) may attempt to trigger the devices included in the list of devices it was provided with to perform an access procedure using multiple access rounds within the same communication session, where each access round (530) may comprise several access occasions (540). The gNB may divide this list of device IDs among readers without knowing which devices are covered by which reader (e.g. without location information and / or coverage information for the devices and / or the readers).

[0053] If device IDs are fully duplicated over readers (e.g. multiple readers are provided with lists that include overlapping device IDS), many readers may end up paging (e.g. in the trigger message) for the same device, which may have the technical effect of wasting RA occasions / NW resources. However, if devices are not duplicated over multiple readers, it may take a long time to trigger all the device IDs, as it may be unknown (e.g. at the network) which reader is covering which device IDs (e.g. which devices are within the coverage of which readers).

[0054] Further, assuming no prior knowledge about device location and density with respect to each reader, it is difficult to determine size of the access round (in terms of random access occasions) for each reader. For example, a default access round size may be used, or a random size may be used; the network and / or base station may be configured with a predetermined size for the access round, which may or may not be the same for each reader. The reader may attempt to access the devices, with which it is configured, in multiple rounds, where each round may comprise several random access occasions; the size of the access round used by each reader may be adapted or adjusted to help complete the inventory request efficiently.

[0055] In an example embodiment, the round size may be adapted or adjusted for each reader when devices are covered by multiple (i.e. more than one) readers, and may receive paging / trigger signal from more than one reader. A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to efficiently performs random access procedure over multiple readers without wasting network resources.

[0056] In an example embodiment, the random access procedure may be performed for AIoT devices, with the help of multiple readers providing coverage to the devices.

[0057] In an example embodiment, the devices may be assigned to the readers based on no, or some, prior knowledge, if available, with no / partial / full duplication of IDs in the first round of random access within a communication session between network and devices.

[0058] In an example embodiment, based on the response (i.e., the number of devices accessed / read in first round by each reader), and the random access information report sent by the readers to the network (including number of RA occasions with collisions, without contention, and without access transmissions (i.e., empty)), the NW / gNB may adapt or adjust the round size for each reader for the next round of RA. Additionally or alternatively, the NW / gNB may decide not to use a particular reader to trigger the devices for the next round(s) of RA. Additionally or alternatively, the NW / gNB may adapt or adjust the level of duplication of device IDs over readers (diversity). Additionally or alternatively, the NW / gNB may coordinate (e.g. synchronize) the generation / transmission of paging / trigger messages between multiple readers, which may have the technical effect of enabling benefit from the diversity gain at the devices.

[0059] The readers, which may be UEs in topology 2 or base stations in topology 1, may be distributed to cover an area where AIoT devices are deployed. The gNB may receive a device service request from the network (which may be provided by the AIoT AF) along with a list of devices to be accessed. The request may contain no, or little, information about the location of the devices. The gNB may have to fulfill this request by using distributed readers.

[0060] Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated is an example of signaling between nodes in an AIoT system for random access (RA) for the device access.

[0061] At 605, the gNB / NW may prepare a target ID list for each reader, for example based on information from AIoT AF. The devices may be assigned to readers based on some prior knowledge, if available, with no, partial, or full duplication of IDs. For instance, if the network has some approximate knowledge about the location of the devices, such as, the device is within 10m of a certain location, it may know which readers have the chance to perform access to the devices. In this case, the gNB may provide device ID to only those readers for random access, instead of providing all device IDs to all readers. Alternatively, if the gNB has no idea about potential location of the device(s), all the device IDs may be provided to all the readers; the device IDs may be fully duplicated. Additionally or alternatively, the devices may be assigned to the readers based, at least partially, on proximity between the readers and the devices, the coverage achievable with each reader, the type of application for which RA is being triggered, the type of the readers, etc.

[0062] In an example embodiment, there may be no duplication of device IDs between readers if the IDs are randomly assigned. Additionally or alternatively, there may be no duplication of device IDs between readers during a first round, for example when the network has little information about the distribution of readers and devices in a relevant area. Additionally or alternatively, there may be no duplication of device IDs between readers where there is a lot of overlap between the coverage of the readers and the locations of the devices.

[0063] At 610 and 615, the gNB / NW may provide session / request ID to the readers (Reader 1 and Reader 2 in FIG. 6). As mentioned at 605, the device ID list may be identical for multiple readers, or different, based on available information. However, the session / request ID may be the same for all readers. Optionally, the gNB / NW may also provide a priority for each reader and / or device ID. For example, the network may provide a priority in an attempt to equally distribute devices to readers.

[0064] At 620 and 625, the readers may start a round of random access where they page a list of device IDs provided by the gNB / NW. This may be done in a trigger message from the reader, as agreed in RAN2. The reader may append its ID to the message, as the devices may receive the same trigger message from multiple readers for the same access round / occasion indication within the same session / request.

[0065] In an example embodiment, the gNB may attach a reader priority for each readerlD-devicelD pair in case a device receives trigger messages from multiple readers before it has responded to one of them. For instance, device ID 00 may be duplicated over Reader 1 and 2, where Reader 1 may have priority 1 and Reader 2 may have priority 2 appended. For another device ID 01, Reader 2 may have priority 1 and Reader 1 may have priority 2.

[0066] Alternatively, the network (e.g., gNB) may assign a random reader priority list for all devices in a specific access round / occasion, or different reader priority lists for each group of device IDs, and may adapt or adjust the list / lists based on the random access information reported by the readers (e.g. 640, 655) in the next access rounds / occasions.

[0067] At 630 and 645, the AIoT devices may receive the trigger message.

[0068] At 630, if a device is not able to find its ID in the paging message received from the reader, or it finds its device ID but it already has responded to another reader for the same session / request ID (either within the current access occasion or within the previous access occasions / rounds), it may not respond to the trigger message (635).

[0069] At 645, the device(s) may prepare for RA if they are able to find their device ID in the trigger message, and if they receive session / request ID for the first time. If a device receives trigger message from multiple readers at the same time (i.e., synchronized trigger messages) and finds its ID, it may just need to respond to only one of them (650). This may be done randomly if no reader priority is provided by the NW. Otherwise, the device may select the reader with the highest priority based on the reader’s priority provided by the network for each device ID. This may have the technical effect of helping reduce waste of resources in attempting random access for multiple readers. Alternatively, if the device only receives a single trigger message, or only receives a single trigger message during an access occasion and a reply has not been transmitted in an earlier access occasion, the device may ignore the priority, if included, as the device may not need to determine to which trigger message a reply should be made.

[0070] The reader may start the RA round and perform a (e.g. 4-step or 2-step) random access procedure for the list of devices they were provided with (after responding to respective trigger message). In the example of FIG. 6, Reader 1, which does not receive a reply from Device 1, may perform RA with respect to one or more devices other than Device 1. After completing RA, if any, at 640 and 655 the readers may send to the gNB: the ID of the devices that successfully accessed the network; available device ID(s); reader ID; session ID and / or RA procedure information / statistics. These reports may be considered cumulative reports comprising any information collected during one or more access rounds; the reports may be transmitted at the end of an access round.

[0071] The RA procedure information may further include the number of slots / access occasions with collisions, and / or the number of slots with no contention, in a particular round. These may be used in the next step by the NW to adapt or adjust the round size for each reader, and determine the new list of triggered devices by each reader, in the next access round (within the current session / request). In the present disclosure, the terms slots and access occasions may be used interchangeably.

[0072] At 660, the gNB may use the RA information provided by the reader to adjust RA round size and update the device ID list for each reader for the next round of RA if all or target (minimum number / ratio) devices have not been accessed in one round of RA by all the readers. The gNB may decide not to use some of the readers for the RA procedure in the next round. It may make use of RA information provided by the readers. For example, if the number of slots with collisions is high, the gNB may determine that there are more devices than the random occasions, and may increase the round size for the respective reader. Additionally or alternatively, if the number of empty slots (i.e., slots with no access transmission) is high, the gNB may determine that there are not many devices in the coverage area, and may reduce the next round size for the respective reader. Additionally or alternatively, if all slots have successful access transmissions (i.e., not any device in contention), the gNB may determine to exclude the respective reader for access in next round.

[0073] In an example embodiment, the network may provide, in addition to the list of device IDs to be triggered, a stopping condition, based upon which it may be decided to not provide another access round. For example, once random access has been performed for a percentage of devices, a number of devices, or a specific set of devices, the RA procedure may be considered complete, and additionally access rounds may be unnecessary. Accordingly, it is possible for the random access procedure to terminate after a single access round if enough, or the correct, devices have been triggered during that access round.

[0074] In an example embodiment, the gNB may reassign ‘un-accessed device IDs’ to the readers in the next round with the same session / request ID, which may mean that the devices accessing NW in the previous round will not respond to the trigger message.

[0075] In an example embodiment, the gNB may also reshuffle target device IDs over readers if all the device IDs were not duplicated in the first round. For instance, if Reader 1 paged target device IDs 1-10 in round 1, and Reader 2 paged 11-20 IDs in round 1, and there are too many ‘un-accessed’ IDs (e.g. greater than a threshold amount), the gNB may decide to increase the duplication in round 2, with all ‘un-accessed’ device IDs duplicated over both readers in round 2. This implementation may be left to the network policy.

[0076] Alternatively, if a particular reader reports a high number of empty slots (with no contention for access), the network may reassign the devices of that reader to other readers and adjust the device IDs list assigned to each reader accordingly for the next access round(s).

[0077] At 665, the network may provide the readers with the updated list of the device IDs and new round size based on the reported information. Priority information may or may not be included. In the example of FIG. 6, as Reader 1 did not receive a response from Device 1, the network may provide Readerl with an updated list including the ID of Device 1.

[0078] At 670, the reader(s) may retrigger the un-accessed devices (e.g. by sending access round indication within the same session / request) using the new indicated access settings by the network. At 675, the reader may receive a response to the trigger message from the device.

[0079] Referring now to FIG. 7, illustrated is a signaling flow for the device access that may have a technical effect of increasing diversity in the RA procedure. Diversity gain may be achieved when a device receives, from multiple readers, identical paging messages (i.e. duplication of initial trigger message). In an example embodiment, all involved readers may generate a first initial trigger message at the same start time, involving same subset list of devices or including the same IDT payload. The readers may also generate subsequent initial trigger messages at the same time with the same subset list of devices or IDT payload. In an example using topology 2, these readers may receive the same content to be included in the paging message from the radio access node or gNB, either as individual items (e.g. list of devices, command, etc.) or as a transparent IDT payload. A technical effect of the diversity, or full duplication across several readers, may be to implicitly organize the response from involved devices, and therefore minimize response collision probabilities. For example, because any device may receive the full list of devices, each device may look at each order in the list (e.g. nb 3) and apply a back-off timer corresponding to this order when scheduling the response, or may select the reader to respond to based on this order. As a technical effect, collision probability of responses may diminish.

[0080] The devices may be allowed to respond to any paging message received from any reader (i.e. no use of session ID to prevent multiple responses). All the readers may also be provided with information about diversity gain (i.e., the number of readers using the same device ID list), which they may use to adjust the transmission power that they will use for their trigger message towards the devices.

[0081] In an example embodiment, the gNB may coordinate some or all the readers which are involved and belong to it. In topology 2, this may mean coordination of some or all UEs doing the reader function to page the involved device.

[0082] At 710, the gNB may receive an AIoT paging or command message from the core network comprising a list of device IDs to be accessed. At 720, the gNB may send a same transparent payload per access round to the readers, which may comprise a target device ID list (e.g. containing a transparent list of device IDs, etc.). The readers may encode this device list payload at each round transparently towards the devices. The gNB may also indicate to all reader UEs (i.e. to all UEs over RRC message over Uu): the number of access rounds to apply; a common start time for the first access occasion of any involved access round, the number of access occasions per access round; the respective IDT Payload(s) to be transmitted at each access round(s); and / or the number or the list of contributed readers or the expected diversity gain in order for each reader to adapt or adjust, potentially, the Tx power. In an alternative example embodiment (not shown in FIG. 7), the gNB may send, instead of the IDT payload to each involved reader, the content of the IDT payload, for example the list of devices.

[0083] At 730, upon receiving the RRC information, all involved reader UEs may generate a first trigger message at the same start time, which may comprise the same first payload. This payload may contain the list of device IDs to be reached at this round. The first trigger message may be transmitted by each of the readers to each of the devices at the same time, a technical effect of which may be a diversity gain.

[0084] At 740, an AIoT device, for example AIoT device 1, may transmit, to the readers, a reply to the first trigger message. A technical effect of the diversity, or full duplication across several readers, may be to implicitly organize the response from involved devices, and therefore minimize response collision probabilities. For example, because any device receives the full list of devices, each device may look at each order in the list (e.g. nb 3) and apply a back-off timer corresponding to this order when scheduling the response, or may select the reader to respond to based on this order. As a technical effect, collision probability of responses may diminish.

[0085] At 750, the reader UEs may generate a second trigger message, and transmit this second trigger message to each of the devices at the same time with similar principles as step 730. In an example, this second trigger message may have a different list of devices than the first trigger message had. This different list may be included in the second trigger message as an element of the message, or inside an IDT payload. At 760, another AIoT device, for example AIoT device 2, may transmit, to the readers, a reply to the second trigger message. This may be, for example, if device 2 could not respond successfully to the first trigger message.

[0086] It may be noted that not all devices may transmit replies to each of the readers. Furthermore, the replies of the devices may not be specific to the readers from which they may have received a pay load. For example, Device 1 may receive, from Reader 1, a trigger message. Device 1 may, in response, transmit a reply that is detected by Reader 2.

[0087] While not illustrated in the example of FIG. 7, the readers may transmit multiple rounds of the initial trigger messages at the same time with further, or the same, pay loads. While the example of FIG. 7 illustrates a scenario with three readers, two devices, this is not limiting; any number of readers, devices, and / or rounds may be involved m an access procedure according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0088] At 770, the readers may provide final reports to the gNB. After consolidating all the responses from the readers, the gNB may manage the (re)-transmission similarly. A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be that the transmissions may benefit from diversity gain, and any of the readers triggering a particular device may well be able to receive device response, regardless of who triggered the device. For example, a device response may be received even if coverage areas of the readers are overlapping and the D2R response for a particular reader is blocked.

[0089] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable whether the list of device IDs provided to the reader comprises the unique physical device IDs, or any other form of device IDs (e.g., group IDs, mask IDs or when the exact devices to be triggered are not known to the reader / network).

[0090] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable to topologies 1 and / or 2.

[0091] FIG. 8 illustrates the potential steps of an example method 800. The example method 800 may include: transmitting, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices, 810; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access is initiated with the trigger message, 820; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report, 830. The example method 800 may be performed, for example, with a reader, a reader node, a user equipment, a base station, a network node, etc.

[0092] FIG. 9 illustrates the potential steps of an example method 900. The example method 900 may include: receiving, from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access, 910; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report, 920; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access, 930. The example method 900 may be performed, for example, with a base station, a network node, a reader, a core network node, etc.

[0093] FIG. 10 illustrates the potential steps of an example method 1000. The example method 1000 may include: receiving one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes, 1010; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages, 1020; and transmitting the response to the trigger message, 1030. The example method 1000 may be performed, for example, with an AIoT device, a user equipment, etc.

[0094] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determine random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The example apparatus may be further configured to: determine an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The example apparatus may be further configured to: transmit, to devices of the updated list of identifiers of devices, a further trigger message during the next round of random access. The example apparatus may comprise a reader user equipment, wherein determining the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access may comprise the example apparatus being further configured to: transmit, to a network node, the random access information report; and receive, from the network node, information for at least one of: the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access, or a new list of identifiers of devices to be used in a further trigger message of the next round. The example apparatus may be further configured to: receive, from the network node, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to the respective ones of the one or more devices, or a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to a set of devices, wherein the trigger message may be transmitted based, at least partially, on the received configuration. The configuration may further comprise at least one of: a number of reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a start time for the round of random access for the reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in the trigger message, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The example apparatus may be further configured to: adapt a transmission power for transmitting the trigger message based, at least partially, on at least one of: the expected diversity gain, the number of the reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, or the list of the reader nodes. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the apparatus, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. Determining the random access information report may comprise the example apparatus being further configured to: receive, from at least one device of the one or more devices, a response to the trigger message; and determine the random access information report based, at least partially, on the received response. The trigger message may comprise at least one of: a list of the identifiers, of the one or more devices, to be triggered during the round of random access, an identifier of at least one device of the one or more devices, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, an identifier of the apparatus, a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to the at least one device, or a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to a set of devices.

[0095] In accordance with one aspect, an example method may be provided comprising: transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The example method may further comprise: determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The example method may further comprise: transmitting, to devices of the updated list of identifiers of devices, a further trigger message during the next round of random access. The reader node may comprise a reader user equipment, wherein the determining of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access may comprise: transmitting, to a network node, the random access information report; and receiving, from the network node, information for at least one of: the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access, or a new list of identifiers of devices to be used in a further trigger message of the next round. The example method may further comprise: receiving, from the network node, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a priority associated with the reader node with respect to the respective ones of the one or more devices, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to a set of devices, wherein the trigger message may be transmitted based, at least partially, on the received configuration. The configuration may further comprise at least one of: a number of reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a start time for the round of random access for the reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in the trigger message, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The example method may further comprise: adapting a transmission power for transmitting the trigger message based, at least partially, on at least one of: the expected diversity gain, the number of the reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, or the list of the reader nodes. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the reader node, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. The determining of the random access information report may comprise: receiving, from at least one device of the one or more devices, a response to the trigger message; and determining the random access information report based, at least partially, on the received response. The trigger message may comprise at least one of a list of the identifiers, of the one or more devices, to be triggered during the round of random access, an identifier of at least one device of the one or more devices, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, an identifier of the reader node, a priority associated with the reader node with respect to the at least one device, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to a set of devices.

[0096] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: circuitry configured to perform: transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; circuitry configured to perform: determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and circuitry configured to perform: determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[0097] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: processing circuitry; memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, enable the apparatus to: transmit, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determine random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[0098] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” or “means” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.” This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0099] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise means for: transmitting, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The means may be further configured for: determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The means may be further configured for: transmitting, to devices of the updated list of identifiers of devices, a further trigger message during the next round of random access. The example apparatus may comprise a reader user equipment, wherein the means configured for determining the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access may comprise means configured for: transmitting, to a network node, the random access information report; and receiving, from the network node, information for at least one of: the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access, or a new list of identifiers of devices to be used in a further trigger message of the next round. The means may be further configured for: receiving, from the network node, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to the respective ones of the one or more devices, or a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to a set of devices, wherein the trigger message is transmitted based, at least partially, on the received configuration. The configuration may further comprise at least one of: a number of reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a start time for the round of random access for the reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included m the trigger message, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The means may be further configured for: adapting a transmission power for transmitting the trigger message based, at least partially, on at least one of: the expected diversity gain, the number of the reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, or the list of the reader nodes. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the apparatus, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. The means configured for determining the random access information report may comprise means configured for: receiving, from at least one device of the one or more devices, a response to the trigger message; and determining the random access information report based, at least partially, on the received response. The trigger message may comprise at least one of: a list of the identifiers, of the one or more devices, to be triggered during the round of random access, an identifier of at least one device of the one or more devices, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, an identifier of the apparatus, a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to the at least one device, or a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to a set of devices.

[00100] A processor, memory, and / or example algorithms (which may be encoded as instructions, program, or code) may be provided as example means for providing or causing performance of operation.

[00101] In accordance with one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed with at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, of a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determine random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[00102] In accordance with one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, of a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round based, at least partially, on the random access information report. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: causing transmitting, to devices of the updated list of identifiers of devices, of a further trigger message during the next round of random access. The reader node may comprise a reader user equipment, wherein the program instructions for performing determining the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access may comprise program instructions for performing: causing transmitting, to a network node, of the random access information report; and causing receiving, from the network node, of information for at least one of: the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access, or a new list of identifiers of devices to be used in a further trigger message of the next round. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: receiving, from the network node, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a priority associated with the reader node with respect to the respective ones of the one or more devices, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to a set of devices, wherein the trigger message may be transmitted based, at least partially, on the received configuration. The configuration may further comprise at least one of: a number of reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a start time for the round of random access for the reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in the trigger message, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: adapting a transmission power for transmitting the trigger message based, at least partially, on at least one of: the expected diversity gain, the number of the reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, or the list of the reader nodes. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the reader node, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. The program instructions for performing determining the random access information report may comprise program instructions for performing: causing receiving, from at least one device of the one or more devices, of a response to the trigger message; and determining the random access information report based, at least partially, on the received response. The trigger message may comprise at least one of: a list of the identifiers, of the one or more devices, to be triggered during the round of random access, an identifier of at least one device of the one or more devices, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, an identifier of the reader node, a priority associated with the reader node with respect to the at least one device, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to a set of devices.

[00103] In accordance with another example embodiment, a (non-transitory) program storage device readable by a machine may be provided, tangibly embodying instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising: causing transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, of a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[00104] In accordance with another example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: causing transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, of a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[00105] A computer implemented system comprising: at least one processor and at least one (non-transitory) memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system at least to perform: causing transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, of a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[00106] A computer implemented system comprising: means for causing transmitting, with a reader node to one or more devices, of a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices; means for determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access may be initiated with the trigger message; and means for determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

[00107] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmit, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access. The example apparatus may be further configured to: determine an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmit, to the at least one first reader node, the updated list of identifiers of the devices. An amount of duplication between the updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node, and an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for at least one second reader node, may be determined based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The example apparatus may be further configured to: transmit, to one or more reader nodes, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of identifiers of at least one device to be triggered, a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to respective devices of the at least one device, or a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to a set of devices. The configuration may further comprise at least one of: a number of the one or more reader nodes that are configured to use the list of identifiers of the at least one device, a start time for the round of random access for the one or more reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the one or more reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in a trigger message towards a device, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the at least one reader node that generated the random access information report, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. The example apparatus may be further configured to: determine to exclude one or more reader nodes from the next round of random access based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The example apparatus may be further configured to: determine to adapt at least one priority of the at least one first reader node with respect to at least one device based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmit, to the at least one first reader node, the at least one adapted priority.

[00108] In accordance with one aspect, an example method may be provided comprising: receiving, with a network node from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access. The example method may further comprise: determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, the updated list of identifiers of the devices. An amount of duplication between the updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node, and an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for at least one second reader node, may be determined based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The example method may further comprise: transmitting, to one or more reader nodes, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of identifiers of at least one device to be triggered, a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to respective devices of the at least one device, or a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to a set of devices. The configuration may further comprise at least one of: a number of the one or more reader nodes that are configured to use the list of identifiers of the at least one device, a start time for the round of random access for the one or more reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the one or more reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in a trigger message towards a device, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the at least one reader node that generated the random access information report, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. The example method may further comprise: determining to exclude one or more reader nodes from the next round of random access based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The example method may further comprise: determining to adapt at least one priority of the at least one first reader node with respect to at least one device based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, the at least one adapted priority.

[00109] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: circuitry configured to perform: receiving, with a network node from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; circuitry configured to perform: determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and circuitry configured to perform: transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[00110] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: processing circuitry; memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, enable the apparatus to: receive, from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmit, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[00111] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise means for: receiving, from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access. The means may be further configured for: determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, the updated list of identifiers of the devices. An amount of duplication between the updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node, and an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for at least one second reader node, may be determined based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The means may be further configured for: transmitting, to one or more reader nodes, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of identifiers of at least one device to be triggered, a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to respective devices of the at least one device, or a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to a set of devices. The configuration may further comprise at least one of: a number of the one or more reader nodes that are configured to use the list of identifiers of the at least one device, a start time for the round of random access for the one or more reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the one or more reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in a trigger message towards a device, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the at least one reader node that generated the random access information report, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. The means may be further configured for: determining to exclude one or more reader nodes from the next round of random access based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The means may be further configured for: determining to adapt at least one priority of the at least one first reader node with respect to at least one device based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, the at least one adapted priority.

[00112] In accordance with one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed with at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause receiving, from at least one reader node, of a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determine an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and cause transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[00113] In accordance with one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing receiving, from at least one reader node, of a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of the updated list of identifiers of the devices. An amount of duplication between the updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node, and an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for at least one second reader node, may be determined based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: causing transmitting, to one or more reader nodes, of a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of identifiers of at least one device to be triggered, a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to respective devices of the at least one device, or a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to a set of devices. The configuration may further comprise at least one of a number of the one or more reader nodes that are configured to use the list of identifiers of the at least one device, a start time for the round of random access for the one or more reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the one or more reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in a trigger message towards a device, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices. The random access information report may comprise at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the at least one reader node that generated the random access information report, or one or more random access procedure statistics. The one or more random access procedure statistics may comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: determining to exclude one or more reader nodes from the next round of random access based, at least partially, on the received random access information report. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: determining to adapt at least one priority of the at least one first reader node with respect to at least one device based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of the at least one adapted priority.

[00114] In accordance with another example embodiment, a (non-transitory) program storage device readable by a machine may be provided, tangibly embodying instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising: causing receiving, from at least one reader node, of a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[00115] In accordance with another example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: causing receiving, from at least one reader node, of a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[00116] A computer implemented system comprising: at least one processor and at least one (non-transitory) memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system at least to perform: causing receiving, from at least one reader node, of a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[00117] A computer implemented system comprising: means for causing receiving, from at least one reader node, of a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access; means for determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; and means for causing transmitting, to the at least one first reader node, of information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

[00118] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determine to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and transmit the response to the trigger message. The example apparatus may comprise an ambient Internet of Things device. The trigger message may comprise at least one of: a list of identifiers of devices to be triggered during a round of random access with a reader node of the one or more reader nodes, an identifier of the apparatus, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to, at least, the apparatus. The response to the trigger message may comprise part of a random access procedure. Determining to transmit the response to the trigger message may comprise the example apparatus being further configured to: determine that the trigger message may comprise, at least, an identifier of the apparatus, and an identifier of a communication session that has not been detected previously. The example apparatus may be further configured to: determine to not transmit a response to another trigger message of the one or more trigger messages based, at least partially, on the other trigger message comprising at least one of: an identifier of a device that is at least partially different from an identifier of the apparatus, or an identifier of a communication session that has been detected previously.

[00119] In accordance with one aspect, an example method may be provided comprising: receiving, with a device, one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and transmitting the response to the trigger message. The device may comprise an ambient Internet of Things device. The trigger message may comprise at least one of: a list of identifiers of devices to be triggered during a round of random access with a reader node of the one or more reader nodes, an identifier of the device, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to, at least, the device. The response to the trigger message may comprise part of a random access procedure. The determining to transmit the response to the trigger message may comprise: determining that the trigger message may comprise, at least, an identifier of the device, and an identifier of a communication session that has not been detected previously. The example method may further comprise: determining to not transmit a response to another trigger message of the one or more trigger messages based, at least partially, on the other trigger message comprising at least one of: an identifier of a device that is at least partially different from an identifier of the device, or an identifier of a communication session that has been detected previously.

[00120] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: circuitry configured to perform: receiving, with a device, one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; circuitry configured to perform: determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and circuitry configured to perform: transmitting the response to the trigger message.

[00121] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: processing circuitry; memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, enable the apparatus to: receive one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determine to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and transmit the response to the trigger message.

[00122] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise means for: receiving one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and transmitting the response to the trigger message. The example apparatus may comprise an ambient Internet of Things device. The trigger message may comprise at least one of: a list of identifiers of devices to be triggered during a round of random access with a reader node of the one or more reader nodes, an identifier of the apparatus, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to, at least, the apparatus. The response to the trigger message may comprise part of a random access procedure. The means configured for determining to transmit the response to the trigger message may comprise means configured for: determining that the trigger message comprises, at least, an identifier of the apparatus, and an identifier of a communication session that has not been detected previously. The means may be further configured for: determining to not transmit a response to another trigger message of the one or more trigger messages based, at least partially, on the other trigger message comprising at least one of: an identifier of a device that is at least partially different from an identifier of the apparatus, or an identifier of a communication session that has been detected previously.

[00123] In accordance with one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed with at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause receiving, with a device, of one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determine to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and cause transmitting of the response to the trigger message.

[00124] In accordance with one example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing receiving, with a device, of one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and causing transmitting of the response to the trigger message. The device may comprise an ambient Internet of Things device. The trigger message may comprise at least one of: a list of identifiers of devices to be triggered during a round of random access with a reader node of the one or more reader nodes, an identifier of the device, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to, at least, the device. The response to the trigger message may comprise part of a random access procedure. The program instructions for performing determining to transmit the response to the trigger message may comprise program instructions for performing: determining that the trigger message may comprise, at least, an identifier of the device, and an identifier of a communication session that has not been detected previously. The example computer-readable medium may further comprise program instructions stored thereon for performing: determining to not transmit a response to another trigger message of the one or more trigger messages based, at least partially, on the other trigger message comprising at least one of: an identifier of a device that is at least partially different from an identifier of the device, or an identifier of a communication session that has been detected previously.

[00125] In accordance with another example embodiment, a (non-transitory) program storage device readable by a machine may be provided, tangibly embodying instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising: causing receiving, with a device, of one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and causing transmitting of the response to the trigger message.

[00126] In accordance with another example embodiment, a (non-transitory) computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: causing receiving, with a device, of one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and causing transmitting of the response to the trigger message.

[00127] A computer implemented system comprising: at least one processor and at least one (non-transitory) memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system at least to perform: causing receiving, with a device, of one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and causing transmitting of the response to the trigger message.

[00128] A computer implemented system comprising: means for causing receiving, with a 5 device, of one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes; means for determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; and means for causing transmitting of the response to the trigger message.

[00129] The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e. tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. 10 ROM).

[00130] It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, features recited in the various dependent claims could be combined with each other in any suitable combination(s). In addition, features from different embodiments described above could be 15 selectively combined into a new embodiment. Accordingly, the description is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modification and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising means for:transmitting, to one or more devices, a trigger message based, at least partially, on a configuration comprising, at least, identifiers of one or more devices;determining random access information report based, at least partially, on ending a round of random access, wherein the round of random access is initiated with the trigger message; anddetermining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means are further configured for:determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round based, at least partially, on the random access information report.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the means are further configured for:transmitting, to devices of the updated list of identifiers of devices, a further trigger message during the next round of random access.

4. The apparatus of claim any of claims 1 through 3, wherein the apparatus comprises a reader user equipment, wherein the means configured for determining the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access comprises means configured for:transmitting, to a network node, the random access information report; andreceiving, from the network node, information for at least one of: the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access, or a new list of identifiers of devices to be used in a further trigger message of the next round.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the means are further configured for: receiving, from the network node, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration comprises at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to the respective ones of the one or more devices, or a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to a set of devices, wherein the trigger message is transmitted based, at least partially, on the received configuration.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the configuration further comprises at least one of: a number of reader nodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, a start time for the round of random access for the reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in the trigger message, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the means are further configured for: adapting a transmission power for transmitting the trigger message based, at least partially, on at least one of: the expected diversity gain, the number of the readernodes that are configured to trigger the list of the identifiers of the one or more devices, or the list of the reader nodes.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 through 7, wherein the random access information report comprises at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the apparatus, or one or more random access procedure statistics.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more random access procedure statistics comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1 through 9, wherein the means configured for determining the random access information report comprises means configured for:receiving, from at least one device of the one or more devices, a response to the trigger message; anddetermining the random access information report based, at least partially, on the received response.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1 through 10, wherein the trigger message comprises at least one of: a list of the identifiers, of the one or more devices, to be triggered during the round of random access, an identifier of at least one device of the one or more devices, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, an identifier of the apparatus, a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to the at least one device, or a priority associated with the apparatus with respect to a set of devices.

12. An apparatus comprising means for:receiving, from at least one reader node, a random access information report with respect to one or more devices for, at least, a round of random access;determining an adaptation of a size of a next round of random access for at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; andtransmitting, to the at least one first reader node, information of the adaptation of the size of the next round of random access.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means are further configured for: determining an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; andtransmitting, to the at least one first reader node, the updated list of identifiers of the devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein an amount of duplication between the updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for the at least one first reader node, and an updated list of identifiers of devices for the next round of random access for at least one second reader node, is determined based, at least partially, on the received random access information report.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 14, wherein the means are further configured for:transmitting, to one or more reader nodes, a configuration for the round of random access, wherein the configuration comprises at least one of: an identifier of a communication session comprising at least one round of random access, a list of identifiers of at least one device to be triggered, a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to respective devices of the at least one device, or a priority associated with the respective ones of the one or more reader nodes with respect to a set of devices.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the configuration further comprises at least one of: a number of the one or more reader nodes that are configured to use the list of identifiers of the at least one device, a start time for the round of random access for the one or more reader nodes, a number of rounds of random access to be performed, a number of access occasions comprised by respective ones of the rounds of random access, a list of the one or more reader nodes, one or more lists of identifiers of devices to be triggered during respective ones of the rounds of random access, a transparent container to be included in a trigger message towards a device, or an expected diversity gain for the one or more devices.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 16, wherein the random access information report comprises at least one of an identifier of a communication session comprising, at least, the round of random access, one or more identifiers of the one or more devices for which random access was successfully performed, an identifier of the at least one reader node that generated the random access information report, or one or more random access procedure statistics.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more random access procedure statistics comprise at least one of: a collision probability, a number of access occasions of the round of random access without any access transmission request, a number of access occasions of the round of random access comprising at least one collision, or a number of access occasions of the round of random access with a successful access transmission request.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 18, wherein the means are further configured for:determining to exclude one or more reader nodes from the next round of random access based, at least partially, on the received random access information report.

20. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 19, wherein the means are further configured for:determining to adapt at least one priority of the at least one first reader node with respect to at least one device based, at least partially, on the received random access information report; andtransmitting, to the at least one first reader node, the at least one adapted priority.

21. An apparatus comprising means for:receiving one or more trigger messages, for a random access procedure, from one or more reader nodes;determining to transmit a response to one of the one or more trigger messages; andtransmitting the response to the trigger message.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus comprises an ambient Internet of Things device.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 or 22, wherein the trigger message comprises at least one of: a list of identifiers of devices to be triggered during a round of random access with a reader node of the one or more reader nodes, an identifier of the apparatus, an identifier of a communication session comprising the round of random access, or a priority associated with the reader node with respect to, at least, the apparatus.

24. The apparatus of any of claims 21 through 23, wherein the means configured for determining to transmit the response to the trigger message comprises means configured for:determining that the trigger message comprises, at least, an identifier of the apparatus, and an identifier of a communication session that has not been detected previously.

25. The apparatus of any of claims 21 through 24, wherein the means are further configured for:determining to not transmit a response to another trigger message of the one or more trigger messages based, at least partially, on the other trigger message5 comprising at least one of: an identifier of a device that is at least partiallydifferent from an identifier of the apparatus, or an identifier of a communication session that has been detected previously.

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